The Proper Image for Linux

Finally, I wanted to know if the contributors were “doing Linux” in their careers. Eighty-two said their current employment was based on their computer skills. It was interesting to note that over a third reported their current employment supported or relied on their Linux development efforts. Sadly, two reported they were currently unemployed, but one of those also noted that he was “voluntarily unemployed to have time to put my life in better order.”

Perhaps one significant difference between Linux development and academic or commercial development is the duration of personal interest. In an academic setting, a student typically has one term, or at most one year, to work on any given program. When programmers leave a company, support is picked up by someone who has no sense of what has gone before. There is greater continuity in the Linux community because of the nature of submission and distribution. No matter what is happening at school or where one works day to day, contributors can keep in touch with progress on their piece of the puzzle. One person noted, “Personally, I did start my code in school, but that does not stop me from maintaining it now.”

There are some other issues which weren't addressed by my survey. Although it might not seem relevant to quality and performance, a person's interest has a great deal to do with the outcome—it leads to a distinction between “craftsmanship” and “work product”. Another person noted:

Another motive, akin to what pushed me to first join the effort, was shared by another respondent who said, “When I wrote [my code] for the Linux kernel I was working at [my former employer]. Linux use there was extensive, and I wanted to give something back.”

Motivation leads to the final and most significant issue—one which cannot be examined by a developer survey.

In a world driven by marketing, image is the basis for purchasing decisions. Even if a good image could be established for Linux by listing credentials or tabulating years of experience, I'd be reluctant to shift to that level. I'd much rather see acceptance and popularity for Linux based on quality and performance.

Even though I hadn't asked specific questions on this topic, a few people offered comments. One note seemed to identify, however obliquely, what may be the key to Linux's success.

Developing on this theme, another wrote:

Peter H. Salus reports the UNIX philosophy in A Quarter Century of UNIX as:

I'd like to close by adding another entry, suggested by UNIX and dominant in Linux: